


Secure Chat Connected

by pendaly



Series: The Second Coming [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sgrub Session, Alternia, Blood, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-17 13:32:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pendaly/pseuds/pendaly
Summary: In the wake of Karkat's untimely demise, Sollux has a hard time sleeping.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry it took so long for so few words of a little fic in this universe to be written. I have other ideas, they're just smaller and unrelated and probably not going to form a chronological narrative so much as just show snippets of this universe that I think would be interesting to see. I hope you guys don't mind that the rest of this series is probably just gonna be little snapshots, but I really enjoy the universe and don't want to abandon it just yet, even if I don't have the energy for the enormous multi-chapter 100k rebellion au fanfic I wish I could produce.

Your Name is Sollux Captor and you haven't slept in four days. You're almost scared to, not that you'd admit that to anybody except maybe in the privacy of your own mind. It's been three days since you saw one of your best friends in the whole fucking universe culled. Publicly. In front of the whole species. You start to think about it and your stomach knots and churns. You begin to wonder whether you should have set up shop in your ablution block with a husktop instead of out here.

That's not the point though. The point is that you've finally created a secure chat client for you and your friends to use. After what happened you all need somewhere safe to talk. You need somewhere you can say how much you hate the empire for what they did and how angry you are and how you-

You take a deep breath and pop each of your knuckles in turn before releasing it in a slow sigh.

You pull up the application and blink at it dazedly. Your eyes feel like they're burning and you rub at them with both palms and yawn in exhaustion. In spite of how you keep rubbing at your eyes and trying to blink the ache out of them, the screen still burns into them, but you refuse to stop until you have the client set up and everyone added to it by IP address, you don't want anyone uninvited to get onto your secure chat client, they have to be added specifically by you to have any sort of access. Unfortunately, this also means that your friends can only use the client from their husktops or computers, but it's worth it. It took you a solid 96 hours, but you did it. You still don't want to sleep, though, so you take your time encrypting the file for the program, and then sending the prime, and base number to each of your friends. You have to sit and talk them through the process and eventually they all have the chat clients installed and ready to go.

You still don't want to sleep.

Your eyelids droop and you shake your head to stay awake.

Every time your eyes close longer than a fraction of a second you can see it all happening again. The way your computer flashes an alert that someone is trying to get into it. Your significantly less secure palmhusk flashing on to show Her Imperious Condescension and the wriggler who turned out to be your best friend.

Karkat gasping and collapsing with his eyes wide open. The sound of his stuttering breaths over the tinny speaker.

You startle yourself when your computer lets out a "Ping!" and your eyes flutter open. You hadn’t even realized they’d fallen shut. You open up the window of your little chat client to see a message from Eridan. Fucking asshole.

caligulasAquarium [CA] opened secure chat with twinArmageddons [TA] at 18:34

CA: sol how much can your server handle? i got a lotta info ta dump here an i think youll wwanna see this shit.

TA: are you really a2kiing?

TA: unle22 iit2 2ome 5 GB fiile iitll probably bee fiine

CA: good im gonna send you a few files since im gonna be shit at explainin some a this to ya

TA: whatever

TA: ju2t what kiind of B2 are we talkiing about here?

CA: im talkin fuckin treasonous documents i aint supposed ta havve any sorta access to

TA: 2weet ii love trea2on

TA: briing iit on fii2hface

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 6_Passage 9.pdf" to TA at 18:41

CA: this is just a snippet a the bullshit i found in some sorta archivve but ii thought you might be interested in the fact that the author happened ta havve the same mutation as karkat

TA: youre kiiddiing

CA: ya knoww that little spiel Her Imperious Condescension gavve before...

TA: yeah

CA: she wwas talkin about people wwhovve read this stuff

CA: it wwasnt hard ta put twwo an twwo together

CA: this stuff is fuckin banned

CA: its illegal ta look at it

TA: THEN WHY THE HELL DIID YOU HAVE IIT ON YOUR COMPUTER WHERE THE EMPIIRE CAN FUCKIING 2EE THAT YOU HAVE IIT!?

CA: wwell i didnt fuckin KNOWW the empire wwas gonna be able ta look at the shit on my fuckin computer!

TA: how diid you NOT know that?

TA: of COU2E the empiire ha2 acce22 two your computer.

TA: you are a fuckiing MORON.

CA: wwell SORRY!

TA: 2o what2 the deal wiith thii2 2ufferer guy?

CA: wwell he wwas some sort of rebel? Wwell all his stuff alwways preaches peace but he wwas all over fuckin hemoequality or some bullshit?

CA: Her Imperious Condescension had a fuckin helluvva time dealin wwith him as i understand it? he had a pretty big followwin wwhich i think is wwhy she killed kar in the first place, ta crush the remainder a his followwin

TA: ii 2wear two god ii wiill fuckiing end that biitch iif ii have two fly all the way out two the battle2hiip conde2cen2iion iit2elf

CA: easy there or youre gonna get yourself culled

TA: WHO EVEN GIIVE2 A 2HIIT? 2HE KIILLED KK!

TA: 2he kiilled that liittle a22hole.

TA: ju2t fuckiing

TA: forked hiim for all the fuckiing race two 2ee.

CA: you aint usually this talkativve at me

CA: howw long since you slept?

TA: what2 iit two you fii2hbreath?

CA: come on howw long?

TA: doe2nt matter

CA: so help me GOD i WWILL message kan

TA: do iit iif iit make2 you feel any better.

TA: fuckiing wriiggler.

You're nearly passed out on your keyboard when you actually _do_ get a message from Kanaya and you groan. Little shits all trying to get up in your fucking grill.

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] opened secure chat with twinArmageddons [TA] at 18:57

GA: Sollux. Eridan Tells Me That You Haven't Slept In A While And That You Are- And I Quote- "Bein A Huge Pain In The Ass."

GA: How Long Has It Been Since You Last Slept? You Really Did Get This Secure Client Up And Running Quite Quickly.

TA: everyone need2 two ju2t learn two FUCK the hell off.

TA: ii am PERFECTLY fuckiing fiine.

GA: You Still Didn't Answer The Question, And On Top Of That Mr. Perfectly-Fuckiing-Fiine, I Never Said That You Weren't Fine.

TA: fuck.

GA: Sollux, What Is Wrong?

TA: oh nothiing maybee my BE2T FRIIEND wa2 fuckiing kiilled and ii had two watch iit wiith my own two optiical bulb2.

GA: I Know How Difficult This Is. Would You Like To Talk About It With Me Right Now?

TA: not really.

TA: ii dont even want two really thiink about iit.

GA: I See.

GA: In The Meantime Perhaps You Should Get Some Rest.

TA: no.

TA: cant 2leep.

GA: Can't? Or Won't?

TA: ii dunno. maybee a liittle of both.

GA: Is It Karkat?

TA: maybee.

TA: ii ju2t...

TA: hii2 face.

TA: ii dont thiink ii ever 2aw anybody ever diie before

GA: Death Is... A Bit Jarring.

GA: I Think That Is The Third Time I've Seen Someone Die.

TA: doe2 iit ever get any better?

GA: Not Particularly. It Still Haunts You For A While And You Feel A Little Sick And You Can't Sleep Without Nightmares Or Just An Unease.

GA: At Least That's How It Is For Me.

GA: Sollux, I Know That You Cared About Him Very Much, But You Need Your Rest. You're Still Alive After All And If You Don't Take Care Of Yourself, You Will Not Be Able To Live Your Life To Its Fullest.

TA: ii dont wanna 2leep.

TA: ii cant 2leep.

TA: ii havent 2lept 2ince he diied.

GA: You Need To Sleep.

TA: ii cant.

GA: Yes, You Can. You Can And You Will.

TA: JU2T 2HUT UP OKAY!?

TA: yeah yeah we all know youre 2O well adju2ted or whatever but II CANNOT 2LEEP TWODAY.

For a few moments there’s only silence and Kanaya doesn’t respond and it just goes on too long and you start to realize that maybe you were a little out of line and you sigh.

TA: 2orry that was mean.

GA: It Is Alright. You'll Have To Sleep Eventually Though, Sollux. I Know That You're Probably Scared And Angry And Sad And All Sorts Of Things, But You Need Sleep.

TA: ii ju2t cant.

TA: not twoday.

GA: Is There Anything I Can Do That Might Help You?

GA: Perhaps Talk?

TA: ii dont know...

TA: ii dont really wanna talk about it.

GA: If You Think Of Any Way That I Could Possibly Help, Do Let Me Know.

TA: yeah.

TA: okay.

twinArmageddons [TA] closed secure chat with grimAuxiliatrix [GA] at 19:28

You stare at your screen and take a deep breath. Every time you close your eyes you can see his face. You don't know how to make it stop. It just keeps coming back like you looked at the image too long and now it's burned into your fucking retinas. Coming back like some sort of fucking boomerang.

You groan when you hear another “Ping!” and recall that you never actually closed your conversation with Eridan.

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 1.pdf" to TA at 18:58

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 2.pdf" to TA at 19:00

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 3.pdf" to TA at 19:02

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 4.pdf" to TA at 19:03

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 5.pdf" to TA at 19:05

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 6.pdf" to TA at 19:07

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 7.pdf" to TA at 19:09

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 1_Passage 8.pdf" to TA at 19:12

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 2_Passage 1.pdf" to TA at 19:13

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 2_Passage 2.pdf" to TA at 19:15

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 2_Passage 3.pdf" to TA at 19:18

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 2_Passage 4.pdf" to TA at 19:20

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 2_Passage 5.pdf" to TA at 19:22

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 2_Passage 6.pdf" to TA at 19:25

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 3_Passage 1.pdf" to TA at 19:27

CA sent file "Sufferer_VVolume 3_Passage 2.pdf" to TA at 19:29

TA: for god2 2ake do you not fuckiing know how to compre22 a fiile?

CA: wwhat?

TA: compre22iion!

TA: CAN YOU DO IIT?

CA: um?

TA: oh my god you dont know how.

TA: okay go and 2elect all the fiile2 you wanna 2end me.

TA: riight cliick on them.

TA: then choo2e “2end two” and then 2elect “compre22ed (ziipped) fiile.”

TA: then ju2t 2end me that in2tead of makiing me iindiiviidually open every 2iingle fuckiing fiile you 2end me.

CA sent file “Sufferer Records_VVolumes 1-13.zip” to TA at 19:36

TA: much better.

CA: noww are you gonna sleep?

TA: no and iit2 none of your bu2iine22 anyway.

CA: sol, you gotta sleep.

TA: fuck you iim gonna go read thii2 trea2onou2 2hiit iin2tead.

twinArmageddons [TA] closed secure chat with caligulasAquarium [CA] at 19:38

You open up all the files Eridan sent you and start downloading them with a sigh, leaning back in your seat as your eyelids begin to droop once again. You haven’t slept in so long but they fall shut and there’s Karkat’s body lying on the floor as he gasps and bleeds unnatural red all over the floor and you’re gasping as you sit bolt upright, your pumpbiscuit hammering hard in your thorax. You can’t sleep. You can’t. You’re almost considering just eating the damn slime if it’ll make the image of Karkat in your head go away. You know that you should be used to death. This is Alternia. Death is natural and an important part of your life. But oh god you’ve never seen it before. You haven’t seen somebody die, let alone your best friend.

You actually shout and nearly fall out of your seat when there’s a ping on your desktop.

caligulasAquarium [CA] added twinArmageddons [TA] to secure memo board “In Memory of Karkat VVantas”

caligulasAquarium [CA] opened secure memo on memo board “In Memory of Karkat VVantas”

caligulasAquarium [CA] responded to memo

CA: sollux hasnt slept in forever

CA: tell him to go the fuck to sleep

You groan and rub at your eyes as that stupid purple text keeps appearing on the screen.

TA: for fuck2 2ake eriidan.

TA: ju2t leave me alone.

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] responded to memo

GA: Eridan, I Believe At This Point It Is Up To Sollux To Decide What He Would Like To Do.

GA: Though I Agree. He Has Not Slept Since The Incident And It Would Be Beneficial If He Would Do So.

TA: are you guy2 2eriiou2ly doiing thii2? NOBODY CARE2 IIF II 2LEEP!

CuttlefishCuller [CC] responded to memo

CC: Contrary to popular bereef! We all CAR---E quite a lot!

CC: Sollux youve gotta sleep!

CA: see? even fef knowws ya gotta sleep.

CC: You got the client running! Its )(ig)( time you got some good SHUT-EY-E!

TA: look ii don’t WANT two 2leep okay?!

TA: iim ju2t gonna have even wor2e niightmare2 than u2ual and iit2 gonna 2UCK.

CC: I know this is hard for you! But you gotta take CAR---E of yours)(elf!

arsenicCatnip [AC] responded to memo

AC: :33< i know this is rough.

AC: :33< its really rough for me too.

AC: :33< you gotta sleep though.

AC: :33< and its gonna suck a lot but you gotta do it.

AC: :33< i purromise itll feel better when you wake up!

CA: yeah, stayin up this longs gonna make ya feel evven shittier than you already wwoulda!

GA: It Is In Your Best Interest That You Rest.

CC: We all just want you to feel betta!!!

CA: sol?

CC: O)( gos)( did he fall asleep?

AC: :33< hes purrobably pretty tired. wish someone could at least move him from his desk to his coon. we all know hes probably passed out on his keyboard…

CA: does anyone actually KNOWW wwhere he livves?

GA: I Do Not Think So.

AC: :33< i think karkat mightve…

CA: …

CA: wwell THATS fuckin depressin.

CC: I do not t)(ink )(e did t)(oug)(!

CC: Didnt karcrab live in the middle of NOW)(-ER-E? 38/

GA: Sollux, Are You Still There?

TA closed memo

You can’t deal with them. You really can’t. They don’t get it- or well maybe they do, but that doesn’t really help because no matter what you do, you can’t stop seeing his face or hearing the choked off little sounds he made when she forked him, can’t get the sight of all the unnatural _red_ seeping into that white shirt, the gasps and gurgles bubbling up out of him as all the light left his eyes. You’re almost surprised the _Ping!_ From your husktop doesn’t make you jump.

Your eyes lift to your screen with something like grim acceptance, except when you see who’s messaging you your stomach churns and your blood runs seadweller-cold.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]

CG: LOOK

CG: BEHIND

CG: YOU.

You don’t remember the physical act of turning around, but somehow you’re staring at the space behind you and he flickers into existence. Dressed in the mockery of a threshecutioner uniform and there’s so much blood staining him and it’s seeping out of his mouth and down his front and it sounds like he’s trying to say something but you can’t understand him for all the gurgling he tries to get out.

You wake up screaming.

Your claws bite into the edge of your desk so hard a couple of them break and your desk’s taken damage too. A sad wriggler growl rumbles in your throat and your eyes dart back and forth over your desk. You’re terrified to look up at your screen, but you force yourself to and the only messages on there are from your living friends. Thank god.

Maybe you _should_ crawl into your coon.

If anything at least then the nightmares won’t be as vivid. You sigh and admit defeat for now because you are not falling asleep at your desk like that again. You turn your status to idle and shut down all your systems before finally standing up. You wobble on your legs a little bit and grimace at the dark outside the window. Already night? God your sleep schedule’s going to be fucked.

Whatever.

As if you even maintained a healthy one to begin with. The world feels like it might be spinning, but somehow you make your way to your coon.

_"Karkat, I want you to know that you are incredibly brave."_

_“You think so?”_

_"Yes, very brave. Not everyone is brave enough to put the race before themselves, guppy. You did a very admirable thing.”_

_“I don’t feel very brave. Mostly just a little sick.”_

You heard all of it. Karkat wasn’t brave. He was stupid. And he didn’t deserve to die, even if he said he did.

You pull off your shirt and pants before climbing into your coon, letting the sopor ease your thoughts and worries, but you can still hear the last conversation he had ringing in your ears as you let the sopor finally carry you off to sleep.

You’re going to need your energy for all the anger still boiling in your gut.


End file.
